oh dear - they're giving up - Page 3

Desertdi · ‎03-13-2010

Next thing you know, the h-o-m-o-phone society will be going out of business

♥Surface of the Sun♥

haddon9 · ‎03-09-2010

@Shawnie wrote:
@jonbon wrote:
@haddon9 wrote:
I never knew that such a society existed! LOL!

I sell personalized signs on Etsy. Often someone will order a sign from me asking for an apostrophe to be placed near the end of a last name to pluralize it. I try to very nicely explain that the apostrophe at the end of a name should be used as either a singular or a plural possessive which determines where the apostrophe is placed (usually before or after the "s"). It's not for plualizing a name. This falls on deaf ears.

So many times they will just tell me that they think it "looks right" with the apostrophe. Here's an example..... "The Smith's wish you a Merry Christmas!"...ugh!
Yes! My sister-in-law (who is a smart lady) used to do this on their Christmas cards. Also, there is a group of neighbors not far from me who have "matching" Christmas decorations. Each home has a sign out front which says, "The Smith's" or "The Olson's" etc. Drives me crazy! I told my husband that one night, under cover of darkness, I'm going to go around with some white paint and paint over all of the apostrophes!
Hmmm. If the signs imply a possessive then aren't the signs correct, aka The Smith's (House)?

@Shawnie Actually if it said "The Smiths' house", The apostrophe would be placed after the last "s" on Smiths' to show that it's a plural (as in more than one person in the family named Smith) possessive. If it just says "The Smiths" and nothing else then there should be no apostrophe since it's not meant for plualizing a name.

If it said "John's house" since John is one person then the apostrophe would be before the "S".

magicmoodz · ‎03-16-2010

@haddon9

How would you handle a name that ends in "s"?

Example: Ries

This has always confused me and I am more likely to use "Ries family".

Thank you for a punctuation lesson!

Imaoldhippie · ‎06-10-2015

Good grief this is one of the most idiotic things I have ever heard, and I thought I dont have a life.

BE THE PERSON YOUR DOG THINKS YOU ARE! (unknown)

ms traditional · ‎03-09-2010

@magicmoodz

per example below i would say plural of Ries is Rieses and possessive is Rieses' --

The plural of Jones is Joneses, ‐es being added as an indicator of the plurality of a word of which the singular form ends in s, as in dresses or messes. The apposition of the much misused apostrophe to the word Jones does not make it plural.

but unfortunately we can't double check with the Apostrophe Protection Society!

@magicmoodz wrote:
@haddon9

How would you handle a name that ends in "s"?

Example: Ries

This has always confused me and I am more likely to use "Ries family".

Thank you for a punctuation lesson!

ms traditional · ‎03-09-2010

@Imaoldhippie wrote:
Good grief this is one of the most idiotic things I have ever heard, and I thought I dont have a life.

perhaps you have heard of an injection of a little "fun" - ?? !!

ms traditional · ‎03-09-2010

@Oznell wrote:
Hold the line, admirable @ms traditional! Keep that banner held high, even though others falter, ha. Am counting on you, and Miss Dabareiner would be proud, and vindicated....

hi @Oznell ha! i see others are allied "in battle" !! one wonders if knowledge of good grammar is a blessing - or a curse - these days. so perhaps best to have a sense of humor about it ? !!

Nonametoday · ‎03-09-2010

@ms traditional wrote:
The Apostrophe Protection Society of the UK is closing down in disgust. its members are throwing in the towel saying that the cause is lost.

The Apostrophe Protection Society was a UK society with "the specific aim of preserving the correct use of this currently much abused punctuation mark". It was founded in 2001 by John Richards, a retired sub-editor, in response to his observations of widespread incorrect use of thpostrophe.

does this mean i should stop correcting grammar mistakes of so-called journalists on major networks (mutter mutter mutter.....)???!!

naw. i haven't given up - yet.!!! thanks to the excellent teaching of one Miss Dabareiner way back when.

@ms traditional

We discussed this here a few weeks ago. I was in the business of correcting grammar (and teaching it) at one time in my life. I also helped with the development of English speech with some of the VR. We were told by the powers that be, that English would no longer be written nor spoken as we learned in textbooks of yesteryear but would conform to the mixed languages of California and what technology would be able to provide. Ta da. We are going to robot English and punctuation. It is enough to tick off the pope but it is what it is and I am too old to argue with the money people.

Nonametoday · ‎03-09-2010

@haddon9 wrote:
I never knew that such a society existed! LOL!

I sell personalized signs on Etsy. Often someone will order a sign from me asking for an apostrophe to be placed near the end of a last name to pluralize it. I try to very nicely explain that the apostrophe at the end of a name should be used as either a singular or a plural possessive which determines where the apostrophe is placed (usually before or after the "s"). It's not for plualizing a name. This falls on deaf ears.

So many times they will just tell me that they think it "looks right" with the apostrophe. Here's an example..... "The Smith's wish you a Merry Christmas!"...ugh!

That is why many are in favor of abandoning the apostrophe. Very few people know the difference in its usage as pertains to plurals and possessitives and plural possessives.

Nonametoday · ‎03-09-2010

@Foxxee wrote:
Who(')s abusing apostrophes?

Who's abusing apostrophes, you ask? Whose business is it? LOL.

There are a couple others very few get right, which brings me to ask "when did we start beginning a sentence fragment with which?"

This is a great example of that: She was working with the other persons in the league. Which were against the project. I see this all the time. It makes my teeth hurt.